16/06/2026
Project SALICE addresses practical obstacles faced by UK personnel and their families serving in NATO Command and Force structures – underpinning the Government’s 'NATO First' approach.
When a soldier, sailor or aviator is posted overseas for NATO, their family often goes with them. Their partner may have to give up their job, and their children may need new schools. Life must be rebuilt in a new country.
‘NATO First’ is not just a commitment made in policy documents, but the guiding principle for all our military plans and activities – and Project SALICE is here to address the challenges that can arise with an international move and to support families serving with NATO overseas.
Expanding on issues and recommendations covered in recent reviews of overseas Service life, the Project SALICE initiative is part of a broader commitment to make military life work, for those who serve – and for the families who serve alongside them. It builds on the Armed Forces Offer, which includes competitive pay, healthcare, accommodation support and funded childcare.
Lieutenant General Eldon Millar, the UK's Military Representative to NATO and the EU and Project SALICE sponsor, said:
“The UK is one of NATO's strongest members. Our Armed Forces work every day alongside allies to keep our country and Europe safe – with the right people, in the right places, at the right time.
“But keeping the best people in our Armed Forces doesn't depend only on good training and kit. It depends on Service life being a good life, for the whole family – and that is the purpose of Project SALICE.
“When our people know that their families are settled, their partners have every opportunity to work, and the practical side of overseas life is manageable, they can focus on their mission – being ready to deter, fight and win.”
The project covers: partner employment, education, accommodation, career management, policies and processes, and the Armed Forces Covenant.
Partner employment
Finding a job in another country isn't easy. Rules vary everywhere, and red tape often makes it extremely hard for partners of Service personnel to work at all.
Right now, particular attention is being focused on tackling these barriers to partner employment, and the Project SALICE team is tackling this in three ways:
1. New guides – explaining the work rules for partners in every EU country: these will be available later this summer on GOV.UK. Where rules are unfair or unclear, the team is pushing for change – talks are already under way with Italy and Denmark.
2. Support for partners in specific professions – the team is looking at what more can be done to support partners who work in healthcare, and other professions will also be considered over the coming months.
3. Changing things at home – International Remote Working (IRW) policies are being reviewed across Government departments. While most departments now have IRW policies in place, approaches vary in how they work in practice. In collaboration with the Government People Group, Defence is therefore undertaking a cross-government exercise to gather and compare IRW policies.
Wider changes...
Armed Forces People Policy (AFPP) and Armed Forces Remuneration Policy (AF Rem) teams have already made improvements to allowances, processes and provisions.
These include:
• Simpler moving costs: The Global Mobility Allowance trial provides an alternative to separate payments, with lump sums at the start and end of a posting. The Disturbance Expense rate on return has also been increased to match what you receive when you go overseas.
• Easier trips home: Following a successful trial in Belgium, the European Commuting Allowance became permanent policy in October 2025 and now covers the whole of Europe. If you have a home in the UK and are posted to an eligible European location, you can claim up to two trips home each month. This also gives married personnel and those in civil partnerships the choice to serve unaccompanied.
• Funded childcare overseas: Since September 2025, eligible working families can claim for up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week – the same as families in England – for children aged nine months to school age, during term time.
• Before and after school childcare: The new Primary School Aged Childcare Overseas (PSACO) allowance enables eligible families to claim back the cost of up to 20 hours of before and after school childcare during term time, for children aged four to eleven. This is available in overseas locations where it is not possible to claim Wraparound Childcare allowance.
• Less admin for Senior Non-Commissioned ranks: Travel delegations have been increased to reduce unnecessary paperwork.
• A new career management initiative: This aims to attract highly skilled volunteers to NATO posts, develop their NATO experience, re-invest their experience back into the UK, and help them stand out as strong candidates for more senior NATO roles.
Coming soon: an app to help you plan your posting
A new Overseas Location App is being built by the Global Support Organisation Digital Team to help you find out what life could look like for your whole family, before choosing your next overseas posting. This will cover partner work rules, schooling options and childcare in Europe and Türkiye – based on your own circumstances. The app is expected to be ready for first tests in the autumn.
Find out more:
If you have a question, please leave a comment on the Project SALICE engagement form https://bit.ly/4elrzPA and the team will aim to respond within a week.
